


The Day I Went Home and Became a Love Guru

by ChungHee22



Series: Servants of the Sun and Moon (Emiya/Cu Chulainn) [2]
Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night - All Media Types
Genre: ....'fun' tips, Attempt at Humor, Boys In Love, Crash Course: How to be an Uke/Seme, First Time, Help, I'm Bad At Summaries, Love, M/M, May add more characters later - Freeform, Multi, Original Character(s), Rated for possible cursing, Romance Tips, Tags Are Hard, What Have I Done, again they're all out of character (ooc), because saying what the 'fun' part actually is in the tags is embarrassing for me XD, but i'll try not to make them sound too weird don't worry, i'm sleepy, plus it doesn't have to do with Seta and Emiya, that could be for another story, the male ritsuka fujimaru, well I won't be actually writing the first time scene, why is tagging always so blinking hard?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-06-12 21:25:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15349074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChungHee22/pseuds/ChungHee22
Summary: 'Ok. So for some reason, everyone's been asking me about their love life today. But WHY?! Out of the all of the people in this palace, why me? Just because I'm mated doesn't mean I know all the ins and outs. I mean come on! All I was supposed to do for these 4 days was relax, be cleansed, then go back to Emiya, Ritsuka and everyone else at Chaldea. And trust me, THIS. AIN'T. RELAXING. It' actually kinda embarrassing...'Also know as the story where everyone in the palace is asking our resident blue lancer for...love advice?(A/N: Another spur of the moment thingy-do. I want this to be 4 chapters, but we'll see what happens~)





	1. A Prologue of Sorts

Ok. So for some reason, everyone's been asking me about their love life today. But  _WHY_?! Out of the all of the people in this palace, why me? Just because I'm mated doesn't mean I know all the ins and outs. I mean come on! All I was supposed to do for these 4 days was relax, be cleansed, then go back to Emiya, Ritsuka and everyone else at Chaldea. And trust me, THIS. AIN'T. RELAXING. It's actually kinda embarrassing...

.....

None of you are getting this are you? How about this, you look at this nice little flashback so you can see what the heck happened and why. Meanwhile, I'll be running and hiding from-

"LORD SETANTA?! **WHERE ARE YOU?!** "

From  _that_. Bye!

 _ **FLASHBACK-A-DO** _

"Tell me again. Why do  _I_ have to go too?"

"Because it's the Irish servants turn to go for their cleansing. Last time I checked, you're a Celt."

"No no, you're not getting it you idiot. Why do I have to go... _there_?"

"Where did you think you were gonna go? Britain?" I respond, now more annoyed than I was when I found out I had to tell my 'evil' twin that he was coming with me to our parents palace for our cleansing.

Ah, for those of you who may not know, a cleansing is when a Servant returns to their homeland for about 4-5 days. Most divine spirits have to go for 4 days, while the others go for 5. Normally we heal by using our masters mana, but a cleansing requires too much mana and energy. If done by a master it could possibly kill them. Therefore Servants return to their homelands and draw on the lands energy and mana(for me and Alter though it's a little bit different). During one we replenish our mana supply, heal all wounds, get rid of curses, and so on. Once we return to our master it's like we've been reset to how we were when first summoned. Although leaving our master unprotected is an absolute no, so we take turns going. We tend to go as pairs, preferably with someone from the same homeland. Which is why, I'm here, dragging a very unfriendly and brooding Servant with me to our parents palace. I'd explain why we go there instead of simply someplace in Ireland, but this explanation is gettin' too long and tedious for me so I'll let the young miss (A/N: that's me! ^^) handle that one in the authors notes.

Alter tilts his head down to hide his eyes from view, "I shouldn't be there...you know that. I'm not-"

"You're his son too!" I argue, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him, "Yes, you exist because Medb wanted you too. But where did you start from? What is at the center of you?" Silence. "Me. And that means that you're a son of Lugh too. He is your father. Deichtine is your mother. They accepted you long ago. Why can't you see that they love you as much as they love me and that they want to see you, talk to you, be near you." I release his shoulders and he looks me at me expressionless, except for his eyes. In his eyes I can see all the doubt, all the pain and sadness. Alter's never thought that he was worthy of being called the son of Lugh. Even though he hides it well, he's always wanted to be loved. But he sees himself as a beast. A monster that should be slain and forgotten. So instead of trying to strengthen his bond with our parents, he runs away from them, hoping they'll forget him. Like that'll ever happen.

"Don't turn away from them Alter."

He's silent for a long time, staring at me but not. I can tell his mind is far away from here. Thinking. Deciding. Maybe even finally understanding. Then he comes back to me and speaks in the softest voice I've ever heard come outta him, "....ok." 

I can't help but smile wide at him.  _Finally!_ Slinging my arm over his shoulder I beam, "Alright! Let's go then! We're already late and they're expecting us. You know how athair* gets when we don't show up on time. Might even get a bald spot this time." I let out a little snort, "Man, seeing him freak out over losing some of his hair would probably kill me. Make sure you revive me yeah?" 

Alter flashes me a toothy smirk but says nothing. _So is that an ok or?_  We had already started walking again towards our destination. Slapping him on the shoulder, I let my arms return to my sides as we walk in a comfortable silence. There's a bit of one-sided conversation throughout though. As we get closer and closer to the palace I can feel Alter get tense so I glance over at him and see something I've never see before. 

Fear. 

He actually looks scared. Then I hear them. Thoughts. So many thoughts running through my mind at once. I catch a few as they race around. For some unknown reason Alter and I can somewhat communicate in the mind like we would with Ritsuka. Most of the time we can control what we say to each other but if the thoughts are too strong to be kept, they flow over in waves and can be a lot to take in. Like now. 

_We're not good enough. There's still time to turn back._

_They hate me. Setanta is just blowing smoke up your ass._

_You're a monster. A disgrace. Run! Don't let them see you. Run. **RUN!**_

We stop a few feet from the palace door now. Alter's tail is twitching behind him slapping me hard on the back of my calf.  _Hurts too._  I put my hand on his shoulder and he jumps a little before turning to look at me, eyes wide. All i do is stare at him and offer him a hopefully gentle smile. He then takes a breath and nods to me before setting his sights on the door. I squeeze his shoulder and the both of us walk up to the big doors. Taking another breath, Alter knocks on the door. 

After a few moments, the doors are flung open and we're pounced on by the Celtic ruler of the sun. I'm tellin' you people wouldn't believe me if I told them what kind of person Lugh actually is. Sheesh. They'd probably believe me when I say he's heavy as hell cause he's crushing my lungs! After what feels like an eternity of bone crushing hugs and head splitting head ruffles, mathair* finally comes and replaces his painful love for something gentler. Well, until she slaps our backs.

Heading inside the pa;ace doors, I look over at Alter. Walking in between both of our parents he's smiling softly. Albeit the smile is kinda small and full of nerves but it's a start. Looking around the entry of the palace, I see some of the hand maidens and footmen moving about. Other than that everything feels calm, quiet and relaxing.  _Huh. This might be a relaxing visit after all._

**_END OF FLASHBACK_ **

Oh, you're back.

Hi. I'm currently hiding from the head of the hand maidens here, Ultana. The one that was chasing me earlier, Ava, was needed by my mathair.

She's...um, yeah. I don't really know how to describe her. Actually I do, but I don't know if my pride will still be intact once I'm done. Ah well. Ultana is the hand maiden that loves to dress me up the most. Male outfits, female outfits, it doesn't matter to her. She tends to do more feminine outfits for me, which makes  _no sense_. I mean sure I have long hair but there are plenty of other men that do too and you don't see people dressing them up! Why me?! And it's not like I can say no to her. Either she'll give me those sad, 'take pity on me' eyes or she'll flip me on my back and do as she pleases.

...That sounded wrong.

Basically she's a terrifying being that should be avoided at all costs if you're easy to dress up. Doesn't matter if you're a girl or a guy. You see her, you run. Run like Nightingale is trying to give you a 'check-up'.

I don't know why I thought that it would be a peaceful 4 days. It's only the first day and I'm already on the run, hiding behind one of the hound statues in the main hall. Haven't seen Alter all day. He's probably with our parents, which means he's safe. Yay. But what about me? I'm in the line of fire here!

"I Found you~" a sickeningly sweet voice calls from behind me. 

**Ultana!**

I move to sprint away from her but it's too late. She's already pulling me by my leg from behind the statue and down the hall.  _Why is everything so damn slippery?! Can't get a grip on anything!_

I can hear her evil smile, "Now, let's make you all nice and pretty. I haven't been able to dress you up in so long. I really missed it. So..." she cackles and looks at me over her shoulder like a predator would look at their prey, "Let's have fun yeah?"

....

Emiya. Help.


	2. Flowers From a Maiden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helper/Guru:  
> Setanta
> 
> Chapter 2 Objective:  
> Help the hand maidens pt 1 (Ava/Flowers)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Tis another chapter ladies and gents. Hope you enjoy it and there will be something extra in the end notes. Just a little description is all but I won't tell you who it's for, so read and find out ^^
> 
> Bye~

 

My E-Rank luck must've worn off for now because Ultana was needed elsewhere. Once she realized this she rushed off without a word, leaving me sprawled on my bed in... _certain_  attire. I'd rather be in my regular clothes. Hell even my battle suit would do, but at least this outfit wasn't as breezy as others. Seeing that she wouldn't be coming back anytime soon I made a beeline for the door and sprinted down the halls. Not really sure where I was trying to go but anywhere but here would be good right about now. Making a sharp left turn, I saw one of the many doors in this place cracked and took my chance. One last sprint and I was throwing the door open and running inside, slamming it shut in haste. My hands are still firmly gripping the doorknob just in case, body leaning heavily on the door. A quick glance around and turns out I've ended up in one of the palaces many sitting rooms. 

And sitting on one of the rooms couches was none other than Alter, stretched out on his side, head resting in hand and his usual outfit discarded somewhere. Instead he wore a wine colored tunic in a similar fashion to the one I once wore. He was in his more human like form now; spikes, talons, and pointy feet replaced by softer feet and hands. The tail however stayed but for some reason it looked thinner, smoother and less spiky.  _I wonder if he can still pick things up with it..._

Looking up at me upon my abrupt entrance, he scanned me, eyes slightly wide. "What happened to you?"

While I was busy making myself scarce I'd forgotten to grab some kind of sheet or something to cover up what I was wearing.  _Good thing the hallways were pretty much empty on my way here..._

There I stood in all my girly glory. Hair loosely braided and thrown over one shoulder with a few flowers of different colors threaded through. The white tunic thing I wore reminded me of one that Scathach would wear back in the day. A necklace collar of sorts holding everything up, back exposed and 'side boob' showing. There was a nice sized slit running up to my mid thigh and let's not forget the gold band Ultana  _forced_  me to put on said leg. On my wrists and ankles were slender gold bands finishing the look. Ultana almost got me into some strange looking footwear but she was called away before she could,  ** _thank goodness_**.

_And **this**  is one of the less breezier outfits. I'm so glad she didn't put me in something else. I'd freeze and I'm a son of Lugh. Sons of Lugh don't get cold!_

Fighting back a small shiver I finally answered, "Ultana."

Alter grimaces, gives me what could be described as a look of sympathy and says no more. Letting out a tired sigh, I walk over to the couch he's lounging on and try to make space for me to lounge too. Unfortunately for me, this tunic dress thingy is harder to deal with that I thought. It's not very stretchy either and try as I might, I'd always end up sitting in a way that had me too exposed for my liking. 

_Damn Ultana and her dresses and tunics. Ugh! I hate this!_

Alter, seemingly tired of watching me struggle, wraps his tail around me and placed most of my body behind his outstretched legs.  _Seems like his tail is stronger than it looks._  I was at somewhat of an angle and my legs were hanging over his and the front of the couch which made me swing them back and forth on a childlike impulse. I can't help it. Whenever my legs are in this position it's just so much fun to swing them about. I continue to swing them with a smile on my face until Mr.Party Pooper wraps his tail around my legs and holds them in place. I try to wiggle them free but to no avail so I begin to fuss at him.

"Lig dom dul!" I whine. 

_Let me gooo!_

Alter doesn't even look at me, eyes once again closed, "Uimh."

_No._

" _WHY_?" I whine again and wiggle, no longer using our native tongue. No response this time so the answer must be the same. No.

_Fine. If I can't swing my legs then I'll just have to do something else!_

Still not sure how I managed to do it but after a bit of twisting and turning I end up on top of Alter, head snuggled in his chest.  _He may look all sharp and menacing but he's a total softy, both on the inside and outside. His chest is almost as comfy as Emiya's! Kuro agrees._

Letting out a long sigh Alter finally speaks, "You're heavy. Move." I snuggle into him more. "Setanta."  _Not moving buddy._  "Seriously?" I nod my head, close my eyes and continue to lay there happily. There's a moment or two of silence, sounds from beyond the entryway door muffled to a comforting tune. Hand maidens and footmen moving around. Some of the hounds tackling and roughhousing each other before they're shooed off outside. Muffled talks of activities for later in the day.  _So peaceful._  I feel Alter's chest deflate a bit as a sigh of defeat escapes him. Wrapping his arms and tail around me, he places his chin on the top of my head gently. I hear him mumble, "...only for a little while."

A smile crosses my face and I snuggle into him some more. Alter lets out one of his small purrs and then it's silent once more. 

**0~0+0~0+0~0**

I know it may seem strange and out of character for Alter but like I said, he's a softy. He loves to cuddle not only with Kuro, his mate, but with me, Emiya and Ritsuka too. Lots of times back at the Chaldea you'll find him laying on and/or cuddling one of us, always purring softly. Sometimes he'll even turn into a smaller version* of himself and snuggle into certain spots that he usually can't at his normal size. Although, most of the time he does that to Kuro, wrapped around his arm and stuck to him like glue. It's adorable really.   

**0~0+0~0+0~0**

Unfortunately our peace was disturbed when the door to the room flies open, smacking the wall with a loud bang. We both nearly jump out of our skins at the loud sound. Alter's arms and tail squeeze me closer to his chest, his protective instinct kicking in automatically. Which means that now I can't see who's coming into the room and why the hell they decided it was a good idea to make such a racket. I mean, I know us Celts are known for our brute strength but  _come on_! Open the door  _without_  taking it off of the hinges. 

Relying on my ears I hear gentle footsteps, footsteps that don't even match the brute strength used to open the door, enter the room. I can feel Alter's grip relax a tiny bit so it must be someone we know. Before I get a chance to say anything a familiar, somewhat soft voice hits my ears, "Oh! I didn't know anyone was-. Lord Setanta! Lord Alter! I'm so sorry for the loud noise. I was just so frustrated and...I didn't mean to disturb you! I mean, I was looking for you Lord Setanta, but now...I'll just let you get back to your nap. Forgive me." Without waiting to hear anything either of us may have to say, I hear who seems to be one of the hand maidens turn around and head back into the hallway.

"Woah, woah, woah! Hold on!" I call.

Due to still being in Alter's vice like grip, my voice comes out muffled. Pushing at his chest I somehow manage to get off of him and stand on my own two feet. Pain shoots up my left leg and I wince. I rub at it a bit which causes the unknown hand maiden to slightly panic.

"Oh no! Have you hurt yourself? Let me see. If it's a cut I can go get a salve to put on it." she says, voice colored with worry as she rushes over and goes to crouch down to take a look. Remembering what I'm wearing, I think it'd be best is she didn't crouch in front of me so I try to ease her worries.

I Wave my hands in front of me and offer her a smile, "No no no, it's fine. My leg just fell asleep is all."  _Probably because of how tight Alter's tail wrapped around it when she came into the room._ "It'll be fine in a little bit, so please don't worry about it." The hand maiden straightens up from her slightly bent position and I finally get to see who she is and what she looks like. Upon seeing her face, I recognize her immediately. She's one of the hand maidens that usually tends to my mother and is also the one that was chasing after me when I first got here. 

Ava. She's a gentle girl with a rugged side to her. Somewhat similar to her cousin, Ciara, she likes to play the harp and do your typical girly type of activities. However, Ava has a wild side, and can often be found sparring with her mate, Faelan, one of the palace guards, when she gets the time. As per usual, she wears her version of the garb that most hand maidens wear when one duty. A somewhat loose but well held together white tunic, altered to stop a bit past the knee. Sleeves that conform to her arm ending in a point at the center of the top of her hand. Her hair is in a fashion similar to mine, only she doesn't have flowers in her hair.  _Lucky._  And as usual, light brown sandals are on her feet. 

Rubbing my leg to get the last feeling of pain out of it, I remember something she said earlier. "You were still looking for me?"

Her eyes widen as she remember as well. "Yes! I was looking for you! I needed your help but right before I could get to you, Lady Deichtine need me."

 _Now I feel kinda bad for running away from her._ "What did you need help with?"

Ava opens her mouth to speak but is cut off by a sound coming from the hallway. As the sound gets closer it gets louder until a head pops into the room. Athair. A look of surprise passes over his face before it turns into a wide grin, "There you boys are! I've been looking for ya!" He walks fully into the room and Ava nods her head in respect. "Well, not so much as you Seta. I know you're gonna be a bit busy today..." He trails off giving me a sly side eye and a knowing smirk. 

 _Busy? How busy? And with what?_  Is what I want to ask, but knowing athair, he'll keep it to himself like the mischievous imp he is. Since he is the Celtic ruler of the sun, he has certain abilities, like clairvoyance. Unfortunately, such abilities did not pass onto me, so all I have to go off of is the smirk he's flashing at me. And by the looks of it, I probably won't be relaxing at all while I'm here.  _Wonderful. I like helping people, but a cleansing is **supposed**  to be  **relaxing**. Ah well, what are ya gonna do._

Alter stands next to me and asks, "You needed me" there's a slight pause, "...athair?"

Athair's face would probably split in two if he smiled any harder as he smothers Alter in one of his air depriving, bone crushing hugs. "You said it! You called me athair!!" He lets out a loud squeal of delight and nearly blinds everyone in the room, strong rays of light coming off of him. For a second it just looked like a bit ball of light was attached to Alter. Then the ball of light proceeded to cover Alter and zoom out of the sitting room, loud yells of excitement and a bright light filling the hallways. " **DEICHTINE!! Mo grá! Mo grá, d'iarr sé orm athair! Dúirt sé é! Bhí sé beagán ciúin, ach dúirt sé é!** "

_DEICHTINE!! My love! My love, he called me father! He said it! It was a bit quiet, but he said it!_

_....._

_Wow._

_People would **not**  believe me._

Turning my attention back to poor Ava, who looked slightly taken aback by athair's outburst, I pick up where we left off, "So, you said you needed my help?"

**0~0+0~0+0~0**

After hearing what Ava's problem was, we came up with a loose plan and headed out into the fields and forests to look for flowers. 

Turns out the person that really needed help was her mate, Faelan. As one of the palace guards, it's his duty to make sure nothing gets in or near mathair and athair. He's very good at his job. Too good it would seem because he lost something very near and dear to him. His flower garden. Apparently before Ava even knew Faelan and before he became a guard here, he always loved planting flowers, tending to them and watching them grow. After becoming a guard he still would have his little garden and would take good care of it. Recently, he needed to put more attention towards his job rather than his garden which lead to him coming home one day and finding that all the flowers in his garden had died. 

Ava tried to cheer him up and convince him to plant new seeds and start over, but Faelan said no. Knowing that he probably wouldn't be able to give his garden the attention it would require, he picked all the dead flowers and gave them to another gardener who'd used them as compost. After that he'd been slightly down but he tried to keep up a strong front. Of course Ava could tell it still bothered him, so she decided to do something that would make him feel better. After days and days of thinking, nothing came to her, so when she nearly broke the door off of it's hinges that had been when she'd reached her highest point of frustration. 

After sitting and plotting we came up with a somewhat loose course of action. Find him just one flower that he loves the most, and give it to him as a gift. 

However, that's gonna be a hard job. The reason being that Faelan doesn't really have a favorite flower. He only had ones that he doesn't particularly care for. Other than that, he loved them all. 

Now you see our problem. 

So that's why we've been outside in the forests and fields, looking through many a flower for what feels like hours. The sun has already started to come down from it's peak in the sky, letting us know that yes, we have been out here for a long time. Looking back down towards the field we're currently in, I see Ava a bit of a ways off but it's obvious that she's tired. 

_She needs to rest._

"Ava!" I call to her. I get a loud grunt signaling that she heard me. "Why don't we stop for today, huh? We've been at it for hours and we still haven't found anything. I'm still here for 3 more days. I can help you tomorrow."

She doesn't even spare me a glance, "No. We keep looking until we find it."

"Find what exactly? You're not even looking for a specific type of flower! Maybe if we go ask Faelan which...10 flowers he likes the most-"

She stands up this time and looks at me sternly, "No. Lord Setanta, Faelan is a very smart man. He will know my intentions the minute I ask him that which will ruin the surprise. We must keep searching." She goes back to looking through the fields for something,  _anything_.

"If you don't know what you're searching for, how exactly will you find it?" Ava pauses for a moment. Just when I think my words have changed her mind, she wipes her brow and continues her search. I let out an exhausted sigh and go over and sit on a patch of grass, legs crossed with my arms supporting me. At this her head shoots up and she glares daggers in my direction. 

"What are you doing? Before we know it, the sun will set!"

I narrow my eyes at her, "Exactly. The sun will set and we'll have accomplished nothing because you haven't taken a moment to  _sit down_  and rest. Battles aren't only won with brute force you know. You need to have tactics to go along with it." Now she just looks confused and I let out a soft chuckle. "C'mere. Let me tell you a story."

More glares, "My lord, with all due respect, I don't think now is a good time for story time."

 _I didn't want to have to do this._  

Putting on a face of authority, I say in a stern tone, "Ava. Tar anseo agus a chuid eile. Anois."

_Ava. Come here and rest. Now._

Her eyes go very wide at that. Her face returns back to normal for the most part but I can tell she's still surprised at me, as she walks over and plops down next to me. 

I'd never really used that kind of tone with any of the hand maidens or footmen here. I felt like it wasn't my place to do so. It was my parents. However, if I ever ordered the people here to do something, they would have to listen to me. Even now, ordering her to come and rest feels strange, the words heavy and odd on my tongue. 

It's silent now, the gentle breeze blowing, cooling us down. The suns gone down a bit more now but it's still bright out. Ava still sits beside me, not saying a word and guilt starts to well up inside me. I turn to her and see that she has her head down, bangs covering her eyes. 

_Did I really sound that bad?_

The words flow out of my mouth, "Géill dom."

_Forgive me._

Ava's head shoots up at break neck speed and she immediately begins to apologize, hands flailing, "No! It's your birthright. I mean since you're-! I mean since you-! I'm just not used to..."

I place my hand on top of her head and ruffle her hair. She lets out a squeak of surprise and tries to move my hand so she can smooth down her hair. I ignore it and continue to have my fun until I see a smile spread across her face. 

_There we go._

Removing my hand, she immediately tries to smooth her hair and looks at me pouting. "...you ruined my hair." I laugh at her and she pouts some more, head turning to the side. Seems I messed her hair up more than i thought because it's still a bit unruly. Feeling a little bad I offer to help her.

"Let me help ya."

Not saying a word, Ava turns her body, her back now facing me and lets her hair out of it's braid. I fluff her hair a bit just to hear her giggle then get down to it.  _Seems like she had more tangles in her hair than I thought. Braids really do hide everything._ Running my fingers as gently as allowed through her hair reminds me of my previous statement. I was gonna tell her a story.

Not quite sure how to start, I just begin talking and hope that she goes along with it, "Once, when my mate Emiya and I had been courting for a bit, he got me something special. Something I have on me any chance I get." Ava must've caught on and just lets me talk. I'm grateful for that. "It was a 3-leaf clover pressed and put inside of a necklace. You know how important those are to us, so when he gave it to me I was so happy." I can't help the smile that spreads across my face as I speak. Whenever I told this story to the other Servants back at the Chaldea, they'd always comment about the dopey look on my face. Especially the short haired 'dragon witch' and that sadistic AI. 

Most of the tangles in Ava's hair are gone now. I start to section off the hair to begin her braid, "It was my birthday and to be honest, I had forgotten about it. Of course Emiya wouldn't forget something like that. He actually got a bit angry that I forgot my own birthday, but hey, I'm old. What am I supposed to do?" I hear her giggle at my 'old man' comment and chuckle a bit myself. "So apparently he'd been looking for a 3-leaf clover whenever he got a chance  _months_  before my birthday but he had no luck. When my birthday actually came around he was all out of sorts. Of course I asked what was wrong with him but he wouldn't tell me at first."

Ava tried to turn towards me a bit, "What happened then?" 

"I bugged him until he told me." I answered while turning her head so she'd be facing forward again.  _Don't wanna mess up her hair again._ "After following him and bugging him non-stop he finally gave in and explained his situation as vaguely as possible. He said he'd been looking for a gift for a close friend for months and had no luck. I told him that maybe he should stop looking for it for a little bit then come back to it, but he started losin' it about how he needed it very  _very_ soon. Nearly tripped actually. He almost fell down the stairs and gave me a heart attack! I knew we should've sat down while we were talking." Another giggle.

"He was ok though, right?"

"Hmm? Of course. I caught him before he could kiss one of the steps. So...where was I? Oh yeah. He freaked out, but I managed to calm him down again and tried to explain why he should stop and take a breather. I told him that if you keep lookin' at the same thing over and over again your eyes will eventually get tired and used to whatever it is you're looking at and take all that you see as the same or similar thing. But maybe, just maybe, if you sit back and relax a bit, you'll find what you're looking for." 

"And then?" Ava asks curiously.

Finishing up her braid, I toss it over her shoulder and answer, "He took my advice and stopped looking for the clover for a tiny bit. 'Course I didn't know it was a clover back then and he only took a break for a day because it was gonna be my birthday in two days, but you get the picture."

Ava turns around and faces me, smiling happily and fiddling with her newly done braid. "Go raibh maith agat."

_Thank you._

I smile at her and pat her head gently this time. No ruffling. "Breathnaíonn sé go maith."

_It looks good._

"The day finally came and before my birthday party actually got started, Emiya pulled me aside to give me his gift. He may not have said it but I know he wanted to be the first person to give me a gift. So cute." I feel myself smiling and at the sound of Ava's giggle I clear my throat. "We were in our room when he gave it to me. It was in a pretty little case wrapped in silver wrapping paper. When I opened it up I found this." Reaching into the opening at the top of my tunic, I pull out my gift. 

It was a small circle shaped face with a pressed 3-leaf clover on it's front with a silver backing. The clover was covered by clear glass to hold it in place and the entire thing hung on a simple brown cord that looked rough and leathery. Turns out the cord is pretty soft and comfortable to wear. No rubbing on the back of my neck or marks.  _Unless you say that some of the **marks**  that are on the back of my neck are due to the cord being 'rough' and not because a certain gray haired male cant keep his hands and lips to himself on most occasions then yes. It does a number on me._

I can see the sparkle in Ava's eyes as she reached out to touch the necklace, "It's so pretty. The cord is really soft too. It looks like it'd feel a bit rougher."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too but Emiya said he wanted it to be comfortable to wear so I'd wear it a lot." I say with a chuckle.  _He can seriously be the cutest thing._ "I put it on and kissed him so much, we nearly missed the party. Alter had to come and literally drag me away from him. Then he held me hostage until Ritsuka was done giving me a lecture about being late to my own party. After that was finally over, I showed my necklace off to everyone. They may not have said it but I'm sure they were jealous."

Ava tilts her head slightly in question, "Why didn't Lord Alter celebrate his birthday too? You both share the same day of birth don't you?"

My smile falters a bit at that, "Ahh, that. At the time he didn't feel comfortable celebrating his birthday. We wanted to but we didn't wanna put him in a bad mood, so we let it be. He actually had a pretty good time at the party, so it was somewhat ok. I still didn't like it though..."

Ava's face morphs into an apologetic one so I place a hand on her head again and grin at her, "But the past is the past. Now Alter celebrates  _our_ birthday and I almost always wear this beautiful necklace that my adorable mate gave to me. I wore it into battle once and it nearly got cut off of me. Needless to say, I thought it better to keep it at home where it was safe." 

 _I_ _also made sure to give that skeletal bastard that swiped at me a good beating. Saber class? Who gives a damn! It nearly took my gift clean off my neck! He was dyin' **TODAY**. _ I can feel my whole mood go sour at the thought so I try to think of something else. Luckily Ava starts to yell something.

"There!" Her sudden shout startles me a bit and I start to look around, trying to find what she's talking about. Ava points to something only a few feet from where we're sitting, "Not there. There! That flower right there. That's the one!" Before I even get a chance to respond to her she takes off towards it. One, two and she's already pulled a flower pot out of thin air and is starting to dig up the flower. I move closer to watch, seeing as she doesn't really need my help anymore. As I croutch down next to her she speaks up again, voice filled with joy, "This! This looks exactly like the flowers Faelan would plant with his mom. He always told me stories about it and he even showed me how one looked once before, but after awhile we couldn't find anymore of them. I'm sure that this-" she holds the now potted flower in front of her with a face splitting grin, "Will cheer him up. We can either keep it in this pot or plant it outside. Oh this is wonderful!"

Her smile is infectious and I find myself smiling brightly too, hand automatically drawn to my now hidden necklace. Then her eyes widen in realization and she narrows her eyes at me. 

"This is what you meant."

I can't help but squint at her, confused, "What? What did I mean?"

"The story. About your mate and how he was searching for the clover. Remember?"

"Oh." I rub the back of my head. "Yeah, I'm followin' ya now. Yes. I hoped that maybe you'd get the morale of my little tale. If not, then maybe I'd take long enough that you'd actually sit and rest for a bit. I wasn't really sure if it's work out but..." I look to the side in thought before meeting her gaze again, "Seems like everything's all good now!"

I'm surprised by the tight hug she gives me. Ava squeezes me so hard, 'thank you' flowing out of her mouth so many times that I wonder if that's all she can say. I look up at the sky and make a sound of surprise. She must've thought she hurt me because she immediately lets me go and starts to ask if I'm alright but I don't give her the chance. Picking her up bridal style, I race back towards the palace to find Faelan. I hadn't realized how late it was and the sky was getting darker by the minute so I pick up the pace. I'm moving so fast that I almost run right into the red haired, green eyed man that we've been knee deep in flowers for.  Screeching to a halt, I place Ava back on the ground and run to hide behind a far off building.  _Figure they should have some privacy._

_Doesn't mean I can't watch though._

Not being able to hear them doesn't really ruin anything though because Faelan seems to be a guy that wears his heart on his sleeve. Ava hands him the pot and she talks for a bit as he stares at the flower, wide eyed.  _Probably explaing all that happened and why we got it for him_. Once she finishes talking she looks up to see what I already had. Faelan has tears of joy streaming down his cheeks with a big goofy smile. Ava jumps a little thinking something is wrong, but all Faelan does it cry some more before kissing her on the lips.  _I love it when couples kiss. Especially when said couple is me and Emiya._ When they part Ava wipes away some of his tears, pats his spiky head and they hug for a nice bit, rocking from side to side. Seems like they've decided to keep it inside with them because Faelan walks away with the potted flower, cheeks still high in the sky. Ava goes to leave too but she spins on heel and waves with both arms in my direction. Her face has the brightest smile I'd seen on her all day and again I'm hit with the urge to beam back at her. I wave to her and then shoo her along. Ava nods her head, be it out of respect, thanks or both, I'm not sure, and takes off to find Faelan again. Most likely heading home for the day.

 _Well, that went pretty good._ I turn and head towards the front entrance of the palace. After being dragged to the dining hall for dinner by mathair, I somehow manage to get back to my room without running into anybody. Something that I'm grateful for because exhaustion is finally hitting me and it's hitting me  ** _hard_**. About as hard as Fergus's punches when we used to spar and that's pretty damn hard. I flop onto the bed stomach first and turn my head to the side so I won't suffocate, looking out the window that's on the far side of my room and enjoying the darkened sky and the stars. Stars have always held a special place in my heart, so whenever I got the chance I'd look up at them and smile.

I lay there for a moment, memories of a bygone era filling my head. Happy times. Sad times. Peaceful times and times of war. They all swirl around as I look at the stars that have been overhead since the day I was born. I must've fallen asleep at some point because when I open my eyes they feel even heavier than before. 

Letting out a good yawn, I stretch and turn onto my side. That's when it hits me. 

_I'm still wearing this damn tunic! Ugh, I'm too tired for this..._

With my usual energy used up and gone, I just grunt at the fact that I've been walking around dressed like this all day and turn onto my side, no longer looking at the stars. My hand reaches inside my tunic again and pulls out the necklace Emiya gave me all those years ago. I smile a tired smile and kiss it gently then hold it over my heart. I can feel my eyes start to close again and I let them, inviting sleep. Snuggling into the sheets I mumble out to my love that's far away, "Oíche mhaith a chroí. Codlata go maith agus a bheith sábháilte."

_Goodnight my love. Sleep well and be safe._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**This is the flower that they picked for Faelan. It's called a Alstroemeria. Ain't it pretty?**

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, so this description is for Faelan, since I really didn't describe him too much.  
> Faelan is a somewhat tall dude with red hair. Not like an orange red, but a red red. He has short hair that's slightly spiky, kinda in a style similar to Fergus. His hair is probably easier to smooth down though...  
> Anyway! Faelan has pretty green eyes and lightly tanned skin. Very lightly tanned. What do they call it? Sun kissed? Or it that too tan???  
> His guard outfit is your typical guard outfit. Silver armor, not sure if he has a helmet or not. He uses a sword instead of spear. What he has on when Seta nearly runs him over is a simple loose white shirt and a pair of black slacks. He's very laid back when he's not on duty and he likes the more simpler things in life.
> 
> So yeah, that's Faelan ^^  
> Again, thanks for reading!
> 
> (8/21/2018 Edit: Oh yeah forgot to mention, the part where it says Alter turns small means just that. My version of Alter has the ability to turn into a smaller version of himself, which looks pretty much like Mini Cu Alter. All ya gotta do is look him up and you'll see :3)


	3. With a Song in My Heart and a Mark on My Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helper/Guru:  
> Setanta
> 
> Chapter Objective"  
> Help the hand maidens pt 2 (Ciara/Harp and Ultana/Mating Marks)
> 
> (A/N: This chapter is a bit longer because he's helpin' out two people in one day)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's back. Things have been pretty busy since the last chapter post, so I hope you guys aren't too mad at me! (x.x)
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!
> 
> OH! Remember to right click the video link further down in the story and open it in a new tab so you can have the song playing while reading the story~ ^^

 

_Trees. Seems like I'm in some kind of forest. As my mind clears a bit more the forest starts to look like the one I used to play in when I was younger.  When I was alive. The forest looks darker than normal so it must be nighttime. With a smile I look up at the sky, expecting to see one of my favorite things. The stars. Instead I find a dark blue sky, starless and moonless. I can't help the small frown that comes across my face at that. **Where are the stars? Where have they gone?** I begin to walk slowly through the forest, not feeling any presence other than my own when I hear it._

_"Seta..."_

_If my ears weren't as sensitive to sound as they are, I probably would've missed it. That and the fact that the voice belongs to someone dear to me._

_I look around, trying to find a body to match the voice of my love and find nothing but my surroundings. I hear him call again. "Setanta..." The voice seems to be coming from my left so I change directions and follow the sound with a smile. Before I know it I'm running towards the voice grinning like a child, my hair flying behind me. **When did I take it out of a ponytail?**  runs through my mind for a moment, but my excitement and anticipation for seeing Emiya keeps me from thinking on it for too long as I run even faster. _

_I come to a stop in a clearing, rocks and boulders littering the ground around the treeline. Emiya's voice no longer calls out to me which makes a pang of worry run through me. I go to call out to him, see if he could hear me and hope that he would respond but when I try to speak, nothing happens. I stand there for a moment then try opening my mouth wide to scream his name but there's still no sound. I try one more time when a loud scream comes from my right._

_Emiya..._

_My body moves on auto pilot as I run at full speed towards the scream, panic and dread filling me. It's hard to think let alone breath as I trudge through the unending forest. Even after running for what felt like too long, I still see no sign of him and I fear for the worst. I try summoning Gae Bolg but nothing happens. Letting out a grunt of frustration I mumble to myself, "The hell..."_

_Now the trees seem to claw at me, as if holding me back. The harder I push forward the harder they pull on me but I ignore it. After much struggle and a few scratches I come into another clearing....or so I thought._

_"No way..."_

_I know this place well. Too well in fact. It'd be impossible for me not to know because right now I stand in front of a very familiar riverbank with a certain animal waddling over towards the water for a sip. Everything is the same, from the sky to the grass._ _I let out a tired breath and speak aloud, "Ahhh...So it's a dream huh?" My mind begins to wonder a bit as I look at the place where I left the world of the living. Then I remember why I came running here in the first place. "Dream Emiya! No...Emiya! Where are you?!" I yell to my right. "Can you hear-" I begin to yell to my left, when I freeze._

_My blood runs cold as I finally look at the most obvious thing in my story. The tree I tied myself to. Laying in front of said tree was the one person I'd never want to see like this._

_Emiya._

_I lose all breath and my body goes numb as I look over the scene. He lays there, eyes closed and body still. There's blood all over his usual red outfit, making the red look deeper and darker than before. There's a gaping hole where his heart should be, blood still flowing out at an ample pace. I try to step closer to him but my legs give out and I fall to the ground in a heap, head in my hands. Now that the horrifying scene is out of view I try to snap myself out of it. "It's just a dream...It's just a dream...It's just a dream! Wake up! **IT'S JUST A DREAM!! WAKE UP!!!** " _

_A hand grips my shoulder and I look back to find out who's behind me, tears streaming down my face. My eyes widen as I look at a the man behind me. He wears similar blue battle tights that have been tinted a tad bit darker than my own. Long hair that would normally be blue is white and hanging freely down his back. A cursed spear that's drenched with the blood of my now gone mate. The murderer smiles a twisted smile, leans in close and whispers to me._

_"Dream? No my dear. This is a **Nightmare!** "_

 

**~0~0~0+0~0~0~**

 

Needless to say, I wake up with tears running down my cheeks.

I'm on my side, back still facing the window and pillow held tight against my chest. The pillow is about to burst open from the force of my grip but I can't find it in myself to let go. Usually after I've had a bad dream or remembered something from the past, I snuggle into Emiya and let him hug and kiss the tears away. But now? Impossible. 

That's when it finally hits me that I'm actually alone. It's been so long since I've gone to sleep in a bed all by myself. Being awake and laying in bed alone is one thing, but sleeping? Completely different. There's a level of comfort that comes with having someone sleeping in the same bed as you, lover or otherwise. If it wasn't Emiya on, beside, behind or beneath me, it was Ritsuka needing a quiet and safe place to lay or Alter wanting to take an afternoon nap. The realization makes even more tears fall as I bury my face into the pillow, the dream still fresh in my mind. 

That's when I hear the door open softly and close just a soft. My body goes rigid as I try to feel out the person that just stepped into the room.  _Athair? No, he doesn't enter rooms quietly and even if he did the amount of energy he gives off would give him away._ The person begins to walk over toward my bed with light steps.  _Mathair has light footsteps...Then again, she'd probably start nagging me about oversleeping and such. Even though I don't know what time it is..._

By the time the mystery person has reached me, I've prepared for the worst. My muscles tighten as they stand there for a moment. All is quiet.

Softly, I feel a hand on my back, rubbing in slow circles. The tears eventually come to a stop and my entire body begins to go lax as I'm soothed. This lasts for a few moments before the hand pulls away. I go to turn around and protest when I feel a gentle kiss on my shoulder. At that I shoot up with wide eyes and look behind me to see...

Nothing. 

The only thing that's there is the far off wall and window I was looking out of last night. But I  _know_ that someone was there. I could  _feel_ it! But now I feel nothing. As if it were a passing spirit or ghost. For me to feel so relaxed by whoever or whatever it was let's me know that It was someone I trusted deeply. _Th_ _en who?_

I soon get an answer to my question when my eye picks up a faint glow coming from my hands. Looking down I see that both of my mating marks are glowing softly, the light nearing it's end. I stare at them for a moment and try to put everything together in my mind.  _Our marks usually only glow like that when we're together...And for them to glow that would mean..._ My eyes grow even wider.  _Emiya! He was here?! But how?_ My pillow now lay beside me, forgotten as I brush some wayward strands of hair out of my face and think.  _His presence wasn't even strong enough for me to tell that it was him, so how-?_

My thinking time is cut short when the door opens with more force this time. I look up and see Alter enter the room, scratching the back of his head and looking like he just woke up himself. He let's out a yawn, "Setanta...mathair sent me to come get you for breakfast."

A small smile works its way onto my face."You said mathair."

Alter comes over, flops on my bed and lets out a groan, "Shut up." He turns his head and looks at me with one eye. "Just go get washed up so we can go...eat..." He trails off at the end. In an instant he's sitting upright and leaning in a bit too close to my face, glaring.

I push him back some with a nervous chuckle, "What? Gimme some space will ya?"

Alter leans back and continues to glare at me. We end up staring at each other for awhile before I remember that I'm supposed to be making my way to breakfast. All I do is _glance_ in the direction of the bathroom and Alter lets out a small growl of displeasure. I look back to him and he stops.  _What is with you all of a sudden?_ I actually look at the bathroom door this time and he growls even louder. I let out a tired sigh and turn back to him, opening my mouth to ask what's wrong but he beats me to it.

"Céard atá mícheart?"

_ What's wrong? _

My mouth clamps shut as I stare at him in confusion. He frowns a bit then reaches out a hand and cups my cheek. With a gentle swipe, Alter wipes at something on my cheek for a couple of beats and then I remember what happened moments before I was visited by a friendly ghost Emiya.  _He can see the tear tracks. No wonder he thinks something is wrong._ Leaning into his hand I respond softly, "Droch aisling." He looks slightly confused. Probably couldn't hear me. I speak louder, "Droch aisling. Bhí droch-aisling agam agus dhúisigh mé ag caoineadh."

_Bad dream. I had a bad dream and I woke up crying_

Alters eyes widen slightly. His tail wraps around my calf, hitting it in a gentle rhythm, hand returning to his lap. He speaks softer this time. "An mbeidh tú ceart go leor?"

_Will you be ok?_

I smile at his way of comforting me and close my eyes. "Sílim go mbeidh mé ceart go leor tar éis tamall beag. Ceart anois áfach, níl mé cinnte go leor."

_I think I'll be ok after a little while. Right now though, I'm not quite sure._

He frowns a little at that but says nothing for a moment as he turns his head and looks out the window. There's a comfortable silence in the room as I watch his tail continue to hit my calf. I keep track of the pattern.  _Hit. Swish up. Hit. Swish up. Hit._ Eventually I hear rather than see Alter turn back towards me. "Ar mhaith liom a insint dom faoi?"

 _ Want to tell me about it? _

At first I don't understand, still keeping track of the pattern. Then I realize he's talking about that blasted nightmare and I look up with a grimace. "Go raibh maith agat, ach ní ba mhaith liom." Running my hands through my hair I let out a tired sigh, "Ba mhaith liom dearmad a dhéanamh ar an rud ar fad go hionraic."

_Thanks, but I'd rather not. I'd rather forget the entire thing honestly. _

Alter lets out a small puff of air that one would assume to be a laugh. "Tá a fhios agam an mothúchán."

_I know the feeling._

After that we sit in silence once more. I feel somewhat better now that I have someone that I can actually  _see_ in the room with me but I'm not sure if I'll want to continue to be in the company of others today. That reminds me of the comment athair made yesterday and I flop onto my back on the bed. _I **really** hope he saw wrong this time._  Letting out a sigh, my eyes fall closed.  _Then_ _again...he never sees wrong._ Alter says nothing, but I can feel his eyes on me as his tail gives my calf a little squeeze of support. I'm not quite sure how long we'd been on the bed but it must have been long enough for me to fall into a light sleep. Of course, the loud sound of the bedroom door opening and mathair bargaining in further proved the fact that we'd been up here for too long. Which results in both of us getting a lecture about 'how important breakfast is' and 'when I send you to get your brother, actually get him'. 

All said in our native tongue mind you. My brain was so foggy and tired that I could barely keep up with her speed ranting.

All in all, we had a delicious breakfast. Well...It looked delicious. I really couldn't focus on the taste of it unfortunately. I barely talked at breakfast, only throwing in a 'yeah' here and a 'no' there. I could feel eyes on me throughout the entire meal but I didn't care enough to do anything to put their minds at ease, my own mind clouded. I've had plenty of nightmares in my existence but that dream really shook me. Add in the fact that I'm feeling so lonely that I want to cut this cleansing short and run back home to Emiya too? It's no wonder I feel like crap right now. As soon as breakfast was over and I was excused I ran off to the same sitting room from yesterday, hoping that maybe I could get some kind of rest in there.

However all I got was a headache and tense shoulders.

Definitely not my day.

 

**~0~0~0+0~0~0~**

 

By noon, I give up on trying to sleep and go for a walk around the palace, avoiding people as much as I can. After walking down hallway after hallway I somehow manage to make it back to the same sitting room I tried napping in. I frown and put a hand on my hip, "Seriously? How'd I end up back here?" I must really be out of it to be have been able to get so turned around in this place. I mean, yeah it's a big palace but still! I know how to get around well enough that this shouldn't happen. I trudge inside and go to sit on the wide windowsill, legs stretched out and head leaning against the window. The coolness of the glass soothes me slightly as my eyes fall closed and I take in a few deep breaths. When I finally open my eyes I see something interesting outside in the front yard. 

"Failinis..."

Outside in all of his hound-ish glory, Failinis lays in the grass, sunbathing. His white coat glows in the sun as his tail swishes from side to side in a gentle rhythm. His eyes seem to be closed because normally you'd be able to see his set of beautiful blue eyes that remind you of the sea. From this distance he looks small but trust me, he's far from it. Failinis is the biggest hound we have here at the palace. He's even bigger than Chulainn, who is a pretty big hound.

Even as he's sitting there he gives of a regal aura as expected of athairs hound. Sometimes Failins seems even more regal than he does. Not like I'd tell him that. _Heavens no_. He'd start cryin' on me and have a fit because one of his precious sons has emotionally wounded him. Once he starts acting like that, mathair is the only one that can calm him down with a swift smack to the back of his head. 

Turns out his eyes really were closed because he lifts his head, opens his eyes and looks right at me. My eyes go wide as we continue to stare at one another. Then he lifts his head like one would if they were going to howl but there's no sound. Failinis then repeats this three more times.  _What in the world are you doing?_ I think with a tiny smile, amused by his soundless howls. On the fourth soundless howl he looks up at me and seems to give me an annoyed look. I straighten up some at that and point a finger at myself.  _Are you calling for me?_ His stare seems to say,  _'Yes you dolt. I'm calling you. Come here'._

Before I realize it I'm already up and out in the hallway, walking the halls until I make it to the front doors. On guard duty today is none other than Faelan, who sees me coming and smiles brightly. When he sees that I'm heading out, he nods to me and opens one of the doors so that I can head out to the front yard. Before the door closes I hear a small 'Thank you' and it makes my chest warm and a smile come onto my face. 

Walking down the front steps, I find Failinis is now standing and looking at me. As I close the distance between us he turns around and begins to walk away. So I follow. We walk in welcomed silence for awhile, past the flower fields I was knee deep in with Ava yesterday and into a forest full of tall trees. Failinis finds a nice shady tree with a thick trunk and lays down infront of it. I stand a bit away, staring at him until he lets out a quick bark to call me over. I look at the tree trunk and realize that he's covering pretty much all of it, leaving not much room for me to sit next to him. I tell him as much.

"There's no room." 

Failinis gives another bark that's a tiny bit louder this time. 

I frown, "You're too big." He makes a hound sound equivalent to one of indignation. "No seriously. You took up all the space. Where am I supposed to sit? On top of you?" An even louder bark follows and he somehow manages to nod. I scratch the back of my head and close my eyes, "Look here...Like I said I can't-" Then it hits me. I open my eyes and look at him, "Oh! You want me to lean up against you." Failinis lets out a huff of ' _Finally_ ' and sways his tail a tiny bit. After checking to make sure there aren't any acorns or sharp objects on the ground I sit down and try to get comfy. It takes a bit of moving and a couple of annoyed whines before I'm leaning up against his side, looking up at the treetops and sky.

The sky is still a light blue with barely any clouds in the sky. A fluffy cloud passes by and I raise my hand into the air, pretending I have the ability to grab it from where I'm sitting. As I watch the cloud pass by my mind is blank. I feel... _something_ in me hurt but I'm so gone that I can't even tell what it is. Hell, I'm too far gone to even get frustrated or angry about the fact that I can't understand how I'm feeling. The cloud has now passed so I let my arm fall limply to my side in the grass. I turn my head to the left and speak to the back of Failinis' lowered head, "What are we doing out here?"

_..._

_Why am I asking him? It's not like he can answer me._

My body follows my head so that I'm laying on my side, eyes closed. "Nevermind. It's not like you can answer me anyway." Failinis lets out a small huff then all is silent once more.  _So tired..._ My body relaxes more, tension seeping out of me as I focus on the heart beat and breathing of the fluffy beast I'm laying on. I'm almost lulled into a deep sleep, when I see it.

_Blood everywhere. Emiya laying on the ground with a gaping hole in his chest. Gae Bolg covered in his blood. A bloody hand on my shoulder._

My eyes shoot open and I smack away the bloody hand on my shoulder...or at least what I thought was the bloody hand. Only this one is less bloody and more dainty. 

I straighten upright and find that I'm no longer alone with Failinis. Sitting beside me is one of the hand maidens that tends to mathair. Ciara, younger cousin of Ava and soon to be mate of Ultana. She wears her version of the hand maidens garb. Unlike her cousins dress, Ciara's goes all the way down to her feet in a the fashion of a gown. It's still white and a bit loose but she also has a golden collar that holds her dress up like the outfit her soon to be forced on me yesterday. She has what the kids nowadays call 'cold shoulder' sleeves that taper and end at her wrists with golden boarders. Her blonde hair is in a small bun atop her head with gentle curls on either side of her face, blue eyes still wide at my outburst. 

I instantly feel guilty and quickly go to apologize, "Ciara! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hit you. I just...I was having a bad dream again. Anyway, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

Her eyes soften and she lets her smacked hand join the one atop her thighs, offering me a small smile. "No I'm fine. You just surprised me a bit." She tilts her head to the side as I straighten up, fold my legs and fully face her. "You said you were having a bad dream again? Do you want to talk about it?" I shake my head, not having enough energy to verbally tell such a nice girl no. She looks up for a minute in thought while Failinis moves to where he's no longer infront of the tree trunk. He somehow wiggles under my left arm and lays there with his head on his paws. The warmth he gives off is welcomed as I stare at him a bit more before Ciara speaks again. "Hmm. Since you don't want to talk to me about your bad dream, how about I talk to you about something that could take your mind off of it?"

 _Doesn't sound like a bad idea actually._ I give her the best grin I can manage and answer, "Fine with me. What did you want to talk about?"

At that she looks off to the side, a faint blush on her pale cheeks. I make a face of confusion. "Well...You see I-. I actually came out her looking for you because I wanted to get your advice on something."  _So that's why._ I lean in a tiny bit, my curiosity peaked. "It has to do with my upcoming mating ceremony. I wanted to surprise Ultana with a special _something_ , but I'm not quite sure what I should do. I'm sure she'd just tell me not to push myself or anything but I really want to do this for her. To show how much I care and love her. So..." Ciara looks at me with conviction in her pure eyes, "Could you please help me figure out what to do?"   

 

**~0~0~0+0~0~0~**

 

Well first off, I hugged her to death because she's too darn adorable. Then we both sat there brainstorming the different things Ciara was good at that Ultana liked. If we're being honest, Ciara could give her a leather sack as the special something and she'd love it but I understand. It  ** _has_** to be special. No if, ands or buts.

"Well, we've gone through all the possible things we could do, but still came up with nothing." Ciara lets out a small sigh and closes her eyes. "Is it really that hopeless?" I place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"There, there. We'll come up with something. Somehow..." 

Ciara looks at me, doubtful, "Are you sure?" I nod my head with a smile. "I see. Hopefully we can come up with something soon because I have to head back to the palace soon. Lady Deichtine and I are supposed to play our harps together today."

 _Harp...She always has been good at playing the harp._ Everyday in the late afternoons, Ciara would always be found in the sitting room that my mother normally frequents. There they would play different instruments together. Sometimes they had a good harmony. Other times...not so much. The one instrument that they always succeeded at however, was the harp. Ciara in particular.  _Sorry mathair._ She's always had a knack for playing the harp according to the other hand maidens and footmen at the palace. When I came to the palace for the first time and was taken to meet her, she was sitting on her bed, playing a beautiful tune. 

My eyes light up at a new idea as I grab Ciara, scaring her a bit and making Failinis jump. "The harp!" 

"T-the harp?" She asks, confused. 

I nod my head rapidly as I slip back into my native tongue, "Tá! Tá! An harp! Is féidir leat an téip a imirt di!"

_Yes! Yes! The harp! You can play the harp for her!_

She tilts her head down, eyes clouding over and making them look darker. "I-I don't know...My harp playing is a bit..." I release my grip and stare at her in confusion. 

"What's wrong with your harp playing? You sound amazing!" She still won't meet my eyes.  _Hmm, could it be?_ A sad smile comes onto my face as I pat her shoulder gently this time then go to stand. Ciara looks up at me in question as I offer her my hand, "Walk with me?" 

After accepting my hand and fixing her dress, we head back towards the palace. Failinis doesn't want to move at first but he kicks it into gear when I tell him that I'll brush him after dinner. He always loves it when I brush him for some reason. Actually, all the hounds here do. Maybe I have a certain way of doing it that they love. 

We're halfway through the forest when I start to tell my little story. "Ya know...I play the harp." I can feel Ciara's surprised gaze on me so I turn and give her a little grin. I face forward, "Yeah. Surprising right? I don't look like the type to play the harp but it's actually pretty fun and relaxing. Mathair is the one who taught me when I was younger and when I returned to her side again, we'd practice and play together. Kinda like what you do. That's not the story I'm trying to tell here though. Anyway, my mate Emiya has some pretty bad nightmares sometimes. His past can get a bit...dark. Then again, all of ours can get that way."

Ciara can see that I'm going down a dark train of thought so she steers the conversation back toward a lighter one. "Yes. The past can get dark. However, it is always good to remember the light as well." Her small smile and gentle eyes are infectious and I feel my mood lift some.

"Yeah. You're right." I look up at the sky for a bit before starting again. "Like I said earlier, Emiya has some really nasty nightmares. Sometimes he even wakes up crying. Cuddling him and making sure he feels safe obviously works, but one time i tried something else. It was maybe 4 in the mornin' when I felt him fidgeting around. I woke up and saw him crying in his sleep so I woke him up. Emiya being Emiya, didn't really want to bother me so he tried to say it was nothing while wiping away tears mind you. What a dork." Ciara lets out a giggle. "I ignored him of course and went to comfort him like normal when I felt the urge to play my harp for him. I'd never played my harp infront of him before because I was too nervous, but something told me it would be a good idea."

By now we're in the flower fields from the day before. All of the flowers look a bit brighter than they did when I first went out, even though the sun was brighter then. I stare at them for a little while. Seems I was staring too long because Ciara gives a gentle tug on my shirt sleeve, "What happened next?" 

 _Oh yeah. The story._ I clear my throat, "Sorry about that. Was lost in the flora. I went over to my closet in our room and pulled out the harp that mathair gave to me when I saw her again."

She looks confused. "How did you fit it into the closet? Harps are usually pretty big."

I grin at her and hold up a finger, "I have one word for you little missy. Runes." Ciara makes an 'ahhh' sound and I take that as my  queue to continue. "Of course Emiya was surprised because I just pulled a big Harp out of a closet that shouldn't even be able to house it. I got all set up and comfortable in one of the chairs we have in our room, calmed my nerves as best I could and started to play."

"An cuimhin leat cad é an t-amhrán?"

_Do you remember what the song was?_

"Tá. [Aisling Carolan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFlKx3YPL5I). Imríonn mé dó aon uair a bhfuil sé ina dhiaidh."

 _ Yes. Carolan's Dream. I play it for him whenever he has a nightmare. _

"I still haven't gotten around to playing that one yet. Maybe I should try it with Lady Deichtine sometime. Would you come help?"

"Well, mathair's the one that taught  _me_ so she'd probably be a better teacher than I could ever be, but sure. I'll come peak in on you guys whenever you start." All I get is a blinding smile in return. "I was still pretty nervous when I played but when I got halfway through the song I heard snoring. When I looked over at him on the bed he was sprawled out like a star. And his bed hair...Oh my gosh-" I try to keep it together but end up breaking into a small giggle fit. I somehow manage to pull myself together and wipe a tear from my eye, "Emiya always has messy bed hair but that day. I can't even describe how goofy it looked. Anyway, I figured he was already knocked out so I left the harp where it was and hopped in the bed with him."

Ciara smiles, "He's blessed to have you, Lord Setanta."

"And I'm blessed to have him."

She's quiet for a moment as we finally make it back to the edge of the front yard of the palace. I glance at her and see that she's thinking pretty hard about something, so I leave her be and look back up to the sky. My eyes barely get to look at a cloud before she starts to speak again, drawing my attention. "Do you really think Ultana would love my playing as much as your mate loves yours?" I chuckle.

"Hopefully not." Ciara looks at me confused and slightly sad. I rush to make sure she understands, "It's not like you'd want to put her to sleep during your mating ceremony right?"

She makes a face of understanding, "Then what should I play?"

"Hmm. Play a song that she not only loves but one that has a special meaning to the both of you. Can't have a mating ceremony without two people. Knowing Ultana, the last thing she'd want is for you to play or do something you don't feel comfortable with. Remember that."

Ciara nods her head rapidly then silence falls between us as we get closer to the palace entrance. While we were talking I didn't even notice Failinis leave my side.  _Probably went to find athair._ We're greeted by Faelan, who seems to have been switched to guarding the outside instead of the inside. He nods at both of us politely and opens the door. We walk inside and I watch as the big brown doors creak shut. I look around the main entrance.  _That's odd. It's completely empty._ My gaze falls to Ciara and I find that she's already looking at me. I tilt my head, "What's the matter?"

"I think I figured out what I want to play. Now I just need to practice!" she says, eyes glowing with happiness and determination. 

"Really? What song is it?"

"It's-"

" _ **GET YOUR FURRY BUTTS BACK HERE!!!!**_ "

There's a loud bang followed by what sounds like a stampede.  _Oh no. What is it now?!_ I brace myself for whatever might come our way. However, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw next. Running down the hallway at a fast pace were the hounds, lead by Chulainn, with Ulatana on their furry heels.  _What the hell?_  The hounds are running without any sign of stopping. _S_ _traight at us_ , so I push Ciara as gently as I can away from the direct line of furry fire. I brace for impact but nothing happens as they all run behind me with their ears down, hiding. All of their coats are a bit ruffled and sticking up at odd ends.

Ultana stops a tad bit away from me face twisted in anger, brows furrowed and a brush gripped tightly in her fist. Her long sleeveless tunic is pretty ruffled, the long slit open wide from all that running and showing her black pants underneath "I said to come back. I'm not done brushing you yet!"

 _Brushing?_ I look at their coats.  _You call **that** brushing?_

Chulainn steps up beside my leg and nuzzles into me some while the other hounds let out a whine. I look down at him and he lets out a smaller whine, as if begging me to keep them from her and her brush. I pat and rub his head before looking up to see Ultana with her hands on her hips. "Hold it! It's kinda obvious they don't want you to uh... _brush_ them. Why are you brushing them anyway? I thought that was someone else's job." 

She eventually folds her arms and lets out a long, tired sigh, "It is. However, Enbarr got out today so-"

I let out a sigh of my own, " _Again?_ "

"Yes, again. Like I was saying, they got out so the pair that usually handles the hounds was asked by the pair that handles Enbarr to help them look for her. Of course I reminded them that today was brush day, but they'd already agreed to helping. Therefore, your _lovely_ father assigned the duties of brushing the hounds to me for today." She closes her eyes in annoyance. "Honestly, who do they think I am? I may be a hand maiden but I used to be a guard you know! If anything,  _I_ should've been the one to go out and find Enbarr."

 _Poor gal._ Her annoyance seems to grow the longer she stands there thinking on it. Luckily, her lovely mate to be comes over to offer some comfort. Ciara walks over towards Ultana and places her hands on either side of her head, pulling her down some and making their foreheads meet. "Anois, anois. Ní gá a bheith feargach. Beidh sé ceart go leor..."

_Now, now. No need to be angry. It'll be ok..._

I can barely see it since Ciara is blocking most of my view, but Ultanas shoulders relax and she covers her soon to be's hands with her own. A soft smile comes across her face at the gentle voice of her love. They stand there for a second before Ciara tilts her head up some and kisses Ultana sweetly. I kneel down beside Chulainn and look away, giving them a bit of privacy. Chulainn and the other hounds welcome the attention as I rub and smooth their coat to the best of my ability. I figure they're done kissing because Ultana speaks now in a calmer tone, "Is breá liom tú, mo shéis álainn."

_ I love you, my beautiful melody. _

I can't help the smile that comes onto my face as I hear that. Ultana has always loved the fact that Ciara plays instruments. The way they met had to do with her playing an instrument. Apparently, Ultana came running into her room because she thought she heard the sound of a dying animal. It was just Ciara testing out how to play the flute. Don't ask me how she managed to sound like a dying animal because even _mathair_  has no idea. Long story short, she ended up calling her variations of 'my melody' once they got together, after getting permission from Ciara of course, and the rest is history.   


I look back towards them while rubbing one of the hounds bellies. Instead of their heads being together, they're holding hands. Ciara speaks up again, "Is there anything I can do?"

I can see the slight hesitation in Ultana's eyes before she goes to respond, "No...I don't want to bother you. You already do so much when you're taking care of Lady Deichtine. You'll tire yourself out at this rate."

 _Aww, she's worried about her._ Contrary to popular belief, Ultana is a very caring woman. When she loves someone, she  _loves_ them and wants to make sure everything is perfect for them. And while I know that she may dress me up in all kinds of things and sling me around sometimes, when it comes down to it, I know I can count on her. I know that she loves me as much as I love her. She just has an interesting way of showing it. In that way she's kinda like Alter. Strong, pushy in their own way and very caring. 

Ciara beams at her, "I'm fine! I'll be fine. I promised you remember? That I wouldn't work myself to the bone and that I'd take breaks. So if there's anything I can do, let me help." Ultana looks to the side then glances in my direction for a moment. A smirk forms on her face as she stares at me head on now.

....

_Oh no._

"Ciara my love. Would it be alright if I borrowed Setanta for a little while?"

I tense up. No. _No, no, no, no, no._

Ciara answers, completely oblivious to my turmoil, "Sure. We were just...talking, so if you need him he's all yours."

_**NO!!** _

I get into my runners position so I can escape when the hounds let out a whine as if saying, ' _Don't leave us here_ '. Chulainn gives me those damn puppy eyes and i know I've lost. Before I know it Ultana has me thrown over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes and is carrying me off to who knows where. I see Ciara say goodbye before heading of to meet mathair before I let myself go limp over her shoulder, resigning to my fate. I let out a sigh.

_Why me?_

 

**~0~0~0+0~0~0~**

 

"Ok. So the reason you took me isn't because you wanted me to brush the hounds."

"Yes. Well...I wanted your advice but I figured while you're here you could brush them since it's quite obvious that they'd rather have you doing it than me."

I sigh for the nth time today, "That's probably because what you were doing doesn't count as brushing. I mean did you see their coats? They were a mess!"

"Ok look. I'm not the person that takes care of them on a daily bases, so  _heaven forbid_ I try and get rid of the tangles in their hair."

"Get rid of? More like  _add on_. I mean look at this." I hold up some of the hairs from the brush. They're all knotted and intertwined with each other. "What the hell did you even  _do_?"

We'd been lightly fussing at each other over the hounds while sitting on the floor for a bit now. Ultana brought us to my room, probably because she didn't want hound hair on her floor, and asked me to brush them. Of course I agreed and got to work. The hounds looked pleased now, some falling asleep in a pile while others were playing gently. Chulainn made sure I brushed everyone else first before letting me work on him. There were so many tangles in his coat but I got through most of them with a few grunts and whines of discomfort. A bit of singing helped soothe him some. Now I'm just making sure that there aren't any missed tangles and that everything lays down nice and smooth. I finish and give him a nod of approval, "All done."

Chulainn does a little spin then lays down with his head in my lap. I give him a little pat here and there while looking at Ultana. "So?"

She looks at me with a small grin, "So?"

I frown, "Oh stop it. What did you need advice on?" At that her grin falters a bit and she folds her arms and tilts her head down. 

"It's not like I need advice per se...Probably."

 _Huh?_  

I stare at her for awhile until I notice her face is a bit flushed.  _Wait. Is she?_ "Is it something embarrassing?"

Ultana's head shoots up, "What? No! It's just..." she slides some of her long black hair behind her ear, "I'm just...afraid. I mean, what if I pick the wrong one? Or I somehow mess up the incantation or make her hand explode?! What if-!

I hold up my hands and try to calm her, much to Chulainns annoyance, "Wait, wait, wait! What are you talking about? Whos hand is exploding? And what incantation?" Ultana opens her mouth to answer me, then closes it. She does that for a few times before flopping on her back on the rug and making a sound akin to a dying animal. I give her a moment to collect her thoughts and start to rub on one of the hounds that decided to take a little break from their play fighting. That is until Chulainn nips at their heel to make them leave so he can get my attention back. I bonk him on the head lightly and he let's out a little whine. "Stop that."

"Mating ceremony." I barely hear her mumble. She decides to speak a bit louder, "My... _our_ mating ceremony. I have to pick out our mating mark since I'm the oldest you know? The design, the color, how it glows.  _Everything._ It's the one thing that people will see to know that we belong to each other. That Ciara is mine and that I'm hers. Of course I'm worried about it, but I can't ask for Ciara's help. It's my job. My responsibility. So..." Ultana sits up, stressed green eyes meeting widened red ones, "What did you do about your mating mark, Setanta?"

I stare.

And stare.

And stare some more.

Then I break into a fit of laughter, successfully startling everyone in the room. I laugh and laugh until I'm hit in the head with one of the pillows that are on the floor so we can be comfy. I sit up and see Ultana fuming, "Why are you laughing? This is not funny!"

Pulling my self together, I apologize, "Sorry. It's just...It's like I'm watching myself all over again. I couldn't help laughing because now I know why athair found my turmoil so funny."

"What are you talking about?"

I urge her to come closer, "C'mere." She does as requested and moves until our criss crossed legs are touching. I hold up my hands, then turn them and think about Emiya. In a instant my hands start to glow, revealing the same pattern that shown bright this morning. On the backs of my hands are two identical hearts with a single knotwork cross in the middle of each of them. It's a very bright white and stands out against my hand like warpaint. Ultana leans forward and looks on in awe. "Emiya has a matching set to these bad boys. Only difference is they're black instead of white." I place my hands in my lap. "To be honest, I thought I'd have the black and he'd have the white but I'm fine either way."

She leans back some. "That's a nice design. You did a really good job." I giggle again. "And now you're laughing. Really, what is so funny?"

I smile and go back to rubbing Chulainn, "It's funny because you're worrying yourself over all of this when you don't need to. You don't have to create some kind of design or incantation. The marks for the newly mated pair just appear on their own. You don't really have a say in the pattern but whatever it turns out to be, it's usually something that the couple loves."

Now it's Ultana's turn to stare at me, dumbfounded. After which she stands up and walks around pulling at her hair. "So you're saying that I have been completely losing my mind over  ** _nothing_**."

"Yes."

"And that everything will turn out fine."

"Pretty much." Ultana ends up standing with her back against the wall, pinching the bridge of her nose in silence. After a few minutes she's still standing like that so I move to get up. Chulainn makes a noise of complaint but moves anyway and goes over to the corner so he can keep any eye on all the other hounds. I walk over towards her and stop at a safe distance. Holding out my arms I ask, "Need a hug?" Instead of answering, Ulatana just walks into my arms and wraps her arms around my neck with a very tired sigh. I begin to gently rock us from side to side while rubbing soothing circles on her back and she begins to go somewhat lax in my arms, stress leaving her body in waves. There may have been a couple of tears on my chest but I don't point it out as I continue to comfort her until she retracts her arms. I move my hands to her shoulders that still hold a bit of tension and rub at the muscles in small circles.

She starts off staring at my chest, "I feel so much lighter now. To think I was so worried and stressed over nothing. I feel like an idiot."

I sweep some wayward hairs out of her eyes, "I know how you feel but don't. You didn't know. You were probably told all kinds of things by different people right?" She simply nods which knocks the hairs I moved back. I fix them again, "I stressed myself to death when it was time for Emiya and I to become a mated pair but once I asked athair, he told me the truth. After laughing of course but how was I supposed to know?! Anyway, next time you're unsure of something,  _ask someone_. They might have the answers you need."

Ultana finally meets my eyes. "Yeah. I will." Then she squints her eyes and smiles and gentle smile that rivals Ciaras, eyes still a bit watery. "Go raibh maith agat. Ó bhun mo chroí, buíochas a ghabháil leat."

_Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you._

All I do is smile at her and let my hands return to my sides. Then she wraps her arms around me and gives me a bone crushing hug. The lack of air and pain becomes a tad too much so I tap her hip lightly, "Ultana...Pain...Air...Ow." I hear her gasp as she pushes me back and goes to check and see if I'm hurt. I take in a deep breath. "I'm fine. No need to worry."

"You sure?"

"Mhmm. Positive." Ultana stands infront of me, slightly awkward. With a small frown, I walk over to my empty bed and flop on it then turn onto my right side and wave a dismissive hand her way. "Alright. Problem solved. Go away and let me nap. Helping two people in one day is a lot for a guy." I hear her tap her foot in annoyance.  _There she is._ A smile works its way onto my face. Luckily she can't see it. I think.

Ultana huffs, "Ahh whatever. I don't even know why I came and asked you for advice." I hear her move towards the door, voice sounding a bit farther away, "I'm taking the hounds with me ok?"

_Ahh, she figured it out. Darn._

"Alright. Go with her guys. Don't cause any trouble." The hounds give a little bark in response and barrel after her. My bedroom door shuts softly, leaving me all alone. Again. I sigh.  _I haven't sighed this much in my life. I'm losin' too much air with all this sighing._

It's silent for a long while, my brain and body finally remembering that it didn't really get any good rest when it needs it. I fade in and out of consciousness during my quiet time, unmoving and somewhat peaceful. Until I hear the door open softly and close just as soft again.  _This again...Emiya the friendly ghost has come to pay me a visit again, huh?_ What surprises me however is the fact that the footsteps sound heavier and more solid than this morning. My eyes are closed at this point as I furrow my brow in confusion.  _So it's **not** Emiya? Then who is it? Maybe Ultana left something in here?_

My heart stops when the mystery person not only climbs in my bed but decides that it's perfectly fine to try and spoon me. My eyes shoot open as I go to turn over and give them a piece of my mind when there's a voice whispering by my ear. "Dia dhuit."

_Hello._

My eyes go wide as I look over my shoulder and see Emiya, fleshy and  _alive_ , a smirk on his face. I continue to stare at him in silence as I'm rolled over so that I'm now facing him, arms still around my waist with no plans of letting go. His smirk morphs into a smile as he lays there in an outfit similar to mine. A long and loose sleeved white shirt with a pair of form fitting black pants. We both lay there with no shoes since we're laying in the bed. The only difference is the fact that he has on a gold bracelet that I gave to him when we first started seeing each other. It was one of the bracelets I used to wear but I didn't mind parting with it because the fact that I was able to see an item I held dear on him made me very happy. I'm snapped out of my thoughts when I realize that he's kissing me. 

So of course, I kiss back.

I mean who wouldn't?

It's not a rough kiss. Just gentle pressing of lips. Still, I feel my body begin to warm as we continue and I eventually throw my leg over his hip. I feel Emiya smirk as he deepens the kiss and run his hand under my shirt and up my spine. The air in the room starts to warm some as the mood sets in and my mind starts to fog over some. My body is saying,  **YES!!** My mind however is definitely saying one word. NO. Unfortunately, Emiya picks up on my this and pulls away. I go to chase after his lips but he keeps his distance. After a few attempts at starting where we left off, I give in and lean my head on his chest.

Emiya rubs my head gently, "Tired?" All I do is nod. "Thought so. It's like your body wanted one thing but your brain wanted another."

I let out a tired laugh, "You know me so well." I feel him press a kiss to the top of my head then replace his lips with his chin. We lay there for awhile in a peaceful silence, hand on my back and rubbing gently. And of course, because who needs sleep, my curiosity peaks and I pull away some so our eyes can meet. I squint at him with tired eyes, "Cén fáth a bhfuil tú anseo?"

_Why are you here?_

Emiya looks at me quietly for a moment before answering. "D'iarr tú ormsa. An raibh tú ag smaoineamh nach dtiocfadh liom?"

_ You called for me. Did you think I wouldn't come? _

_I did?_ I ask him as much. "Rinne mé? Cathain? Conas?"

_I did? When? How?_

Emiya smiles at me softly, "You must really be sleepy Seta. I was in the kitchen prepping for breakfast when my marks started to glow. You know the glow they give off when one of the mated pair is in distress?" I nod at him, starting to remember.  _Oh. So that means..._ "I couldn't leave right then because Ritsuka wasn't awake yet for me to ask permission, so I tried projecting myself by using some of the runes you showed me before. You didn't see me earlier?"

"So it  _was_ you!" I yell, nearly knocking both of us off of the bed. 

"Woah! Calm down!" Emiya steadies us and holds me tighter against him. "Yes. That was me. You were having a nightmare weren't you?" I glance to the side so I don't have to meet his eyes. "Thought so. Must have been bad for you to call me over without realizing it. Do you want to talk about it?"

 _Maybe I should tell him. I mean it has to do with him so if anyone should know, it's him._ With newfound determination and a slightly clear mind I look Emiya in the eye and try to speak. However instead of words coming out, all that I manage is a pitiful whimper as the memory of the nightmare comes back to me full force. My eyes begin to sting. I look at his chest then meet his eyes and try it again. "It-! I-!" Before I know it I'm crying, clinging to him like a lifeline with my face buried in his chest. 

Emiya squeezes me even tigther then moves me so we're staring at each other again. With both hands on either side of my face he starts to kiss away the tears as they fall, whispering words of love and comfort. I only pick up the last bit through my sobbing. "Grá. Grá, an féidir leat éisteacht a dhéanamh liom? Tá sé ceart go leor. Beidh sé ceart go leor. Ba chuimhne nó bréag é, beidh mé ceart anseo leat go ceart? Ná bíodh imní ort. Níl eagla ort."

_Love. Love, can you hear me? It's ok. It'll be ok. Be it a memory or a falsehood, I'll be right here with you ok? So don't worry. You have nothing to fear._

Instead of making me stop crying that only makes more tears flow out. I feel that part of me that was hurting earlier in the forest lessen as I cry until my eyes start to feel dry and my voice a bit horse. After my long bout of crying ends and my tears have been wiped away, we both lay there on the brink of sleep, completely exhausted. I somehow find my voice, albeit a weak one, "Why'd you show up now?"

Emiya chuckles tiredly, "What? You don't want me here?" I quickly shake my head. Another chuckle. "I know, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. Onto the reason why I came so late, it's because of our _lovely_ Master."  _Ritsuka?_ "When he finally woke up for breakfast, I was informed that we were going to fight some Helter Skelters today. Needed some gears for something. Apparently I was apart of the team of Archers he was taking with him today, so I had no choice. Once that was done I had to make sure they wouldn't burn down the Chaldea while I was gone. Ritsuka shooed me off saying they'd be fine but I still have my doubts."

My laugh comes out in a puff, "With all the dragon servants we have, you have reason to worry." I hook my leg back over him, holding onto him even tighter. "But they can burn it down for all I care. You're not going anywhere." Emiya hums and holds me just as tight. "I think we both need sleep." Another hum. It's silent again until I get a little bit fussy. "You know what sucks?"

"What?" Emiya asks, voice low and colored with sleep.

"I finally have you here but I'm to damn tired to actually _do_ anything with you."

At first he's silent. Then I feel him dig his chin into my head a little as he understands what I mean. I can't help the sleepy giggle that comes out.

"Go to sleep before I find another mate, you perv."

_Yes sir._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so Failinis is the hound-whelp that was given to Lugh, Setanta's father. In my story I picture Failinis as a big, furry, wolf looking hound with white fur and pretty sea-blue eyes. They didn't specify (at least on what I saw) whether he was a guy or a girl, so I just made him a guy. If that's not historically acurate, please don't jump down my throat. As I typed in the fic, he gives off this regal, king like feeling. When he's not in battle he's a very relaxed hound that can usually be found sunbathing somewhere or getting rubs.
> 
> (The way I pronounce his name is FAL-I-NIS. Not sure if it's the right way but eh)
> 
> Enbarr is a horse that can run on land and sea. Super cool right? But yeah, she also belongs to Lugh. Once again, I'm not sure if Enbarr is a girl or a guy and since I made Failinis a guy, I figured I'd make Enbarr a girl. I never got to put this in the fic but Enbarr LOVES to run. That's why she usually gets out and runs for miles and miles. Lots of times she'll come if called but if she feels like running a bit further, she'll ignore everyone and do as she pleases. When Enbarr isn't running around everywhere, she can usually be found in the stables getting brushed or going for a swim in the nearby lake. 
> 
> (The way I pronounce her name is EN-BAR. Again, not sure if it's right but that's how I do it. You can say their names however you like.)
> 
> \----------------------------
> 
> If you wanna read more about Failinis, paste this in your Url...bar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failinis  
> If you wanna read more about Enbarr, paste this one instead: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enbarr
> 
>  
> 
> Also! If you want to know what Emiya and Seta's mating mark looks like, go here: http://chunghee22.tumblr.com/ao3fics


	4. Valentine's Day...Message? Explanation?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little Valentine's Day gift~  
> Not a chapter. Just a little something that I had as a back-up gift...  
> It'll make sense if you read it! x.x

Ok.

-takes a breath-

So, I have been working on a Valentine's Day gift in the form of a one-shot for y'all. It actually has to do with another work that's in the 'Sun and Moon' series. You know, the one about EMIYA Alter(But he's called Kuro in my works) and Cu Chulainn Alter/Berserker Cu(Who is known as Alter in my works). Their story is called 'Our First...' and I was gonna release their first time one shot on Valentine's as a little surprise, but that hasn't been going well. I've been busy and for whatever reason, I've been having a bit of a hard time writing these two in that type of intimate setting. Maybe I just don't want them to sound like their lighter counterparts EMIYA(Spelled like this, 'Emiya') and Cu Chulainn(Setanta, which is his birth name) so my brain is overworked. I've been getting headaches and just... **UGH**. 

-heaves-

Therefore, instead of that, I'll do some descriptions of Lugh and Deichtine so you all will know how they look in my current and future fics involving them. If I had enough in me and enough time, I'd just draw 'em but eh. Anyway! I'msosorryIhopethismakesupforit!! (Translation: I'm so sorry, I hope this makes up for it!)

 

**_ LUGH: _ **

  * **Appearance:** Well, since he is the Celtic ruler of the sun, I figured he should be blond. Like the man could light up a _planet_ with that hair. It's really pretty and soft and stops a little past his butt. Most of the time he wears his hair down, loose and wavy. By the way he loves his hair and makes sure to take care of it. 'Just because I'm a very manly man that can level mountains and burn up atmospheres, doesn't mean I have to have nasty hair.' Is what he told me once. Now let's see...He has a nice bit of muscle on him but he ain't walking around looking like Spartacus XD. His eyes are a beautiful red like Seta's and he's a few inches taller than all of his sons.  
  * **Personality** : He loves his kids, Deichtine(who he sometimes calls Dee) and all the people that work in his palace. Eh, the guy is just full of love. He's a goofball and can be a bit of a drama queen from time to time but don't let that fool you. When need be he will live up to his title and show you just how serious, composed, strong, and when needed,  _deadly_ he can be. Other than that he's a fun guy to be around and likes to hang around his sons and sometimes literally smother them with love. In my universe for them, he likes to dote on them a lot because he didn't actually raise Seta when he was a child and part of him regrets that. Now that he has another chance to father him  _and_ he has 2 extra sons to dote on (Alter/Berserker Cu and Magi/Cas Cu) he only gets more excited. When he gets too excited he'll turn into a ball of light. Or if he gets overly agitated and angry, he'll turn into a ball of fire and bounce all over the place.



 

 _** DEICHTINE ** _ _:_

  * **Appearance** : She is very elegant looking. Seta gets his blue hair from her. Just like her husbands, her hair goes down past her butt. However, her hair is pretty straight and is kinda hard to curl while Lugh's is a bit more curly. The amount of strength she has and the size of her muscles don't match up  _at all._ Then again, you need to be pretty strong to handle a husband like Lugh. Emiya knows from experience that this womans slap to the back  ** _hurts_** _._ Her eyes are a pretty brown that reminds people of hot chocolate. 
  * **Personality** : She is a very loving and kind woman but she can also be a goof. Not to the extent of her husband but teasing her sons is one of her favorite pastimes. She always talks about how amazing her kids are and that she loves them so. She also takes to smacking them on the back of the head if need be.  _Never get her angry_. It be a fate worse than death. ^^



 

I feel like Deichtine's is too short but that's all I have for her. I'm sorry guys!

Hopefully this'll tide ya until I finish this darn one-shot...

Again, I'm sorry T^T

 

 

Still...

**Happy Valentine's Day!!!!**

**Author's Note:**

> Definitions:  
> -Athair: Means father [Ahir]  
> -Mathair: Means mother [MAW-her]  
> (Seta uses the version of mom/dad that aren't used as much. I'm not sure, but I think that it's the version they used back in his day and he just keeps on using it)
> 
> This chapter was actually gonna be the beginning of Cu Chulainn being a love guru, but then it turned into a prologue with a bunch of sad feelings. Poor Alter...I'm tellin' ya I don't write my fanfics, they write themselves. 
> 
> Sooooooooooo, how was it? I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter ^^  
> Also, I'm not sure but, would me having Setanta/Cu Chulainn call Emiya, 'Shirou' be wrong? Cause sometimes when these stories pop into my head, he's calling him Shirou, so it's like...Emiya and Emiya Shirou are the same person right? Hmmm. I just wanted to know what you guys thought on it is all. Depending on what people may comment, I might have him do that.


End file.
